1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to methods, computer-based systems and computer program products for controlling devices, and in particular using a wireless controller to control electronic devices connected to a wireless network.
2. Discussion of the Background
The past few decades have witnessed the ever-increasing pervasiveness of electronic and computer equipment in our work and home lives. From home entertainment systems to office equipment, the modern home and workplace includes a vast array of electronic devices. Moreover, traditional electrical devices such as refrigerators and ordinary lighting units have become sophisticated microprocessor controlled devices. As Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6) having more address space begins to be implemented, it is likely that more devices, such as those described above, will be assigned an IP addresses. In addition, the rapid development of wireless technology is has reduced the price of wireless chips. Therefore, it is expected that in the in the near future, more devices will have the capability of the wireless communication and access to networks such as the Internet.
The diversity of the above devices makes it difficult for users to manually control the settings of these devices. For example, while most microprocessor based devices are set up and manually controlled by way of a menu driven interface, the menu organization and terminology varies greatly among electronic devices. Indeed, one must spend a great deal of time reading setup and control instructions for each device in the home or workplace in order to optimize the features and conveniences of these device. This is both a burden and a bother to users.
In addition to the burden of learning the control features of each electronic device, many devices are not provided with a remote controller thereby requiring the user to input commands to each device locally. Those devices that do have remote control such as televisions, VCRs, DVD, room heater/air condition unit and ceiling fans have traditionally used an infrared transceiver on the remote control device and the device to be controlled. However, such control devices require line of sight infrared communications which is not suitable for controlling wireless network devices that are scattered throughout various rooms of a household or office. Moreover, traditional remote control devices are often complex devices that include a large number of buttons associated with functional controls for the device to be controlled.